WWE's CM Punk: A Few Reasons He Is Better Than the Entire WWE Roster

The Straight Edge Messiah has become a staple to WWE programming. Since his WWE Debut in 2006, CM Punk has been one of the WWE’s most unique Superstars. Punk’s gimmick revolves around a real life following. Punk’s straight edge lifestyle has always been interpreted in his gimmick whether playing a face with edge or a demented heel.

2010 was a year of morning for the enigma known as CM Punk.

A feud with Rey Mysterio knocked the 2nd City Saint off the WWE’s radar. In the process, having his head shaved bald by the Ultimate Underdog. A short feud with the Big Show followed. The feud was one sided as Punk was always left lifeless by the Weapon of Mass Destruction.

While the better part of 2010 was a failure for Punk, the Messiah pulled of the biggest comeback of 2010.

Punk attacked John Cena on two occasions and became leader of the Nexus. The nefarious Superstar seemingly struck gold and became regarded as the WWE’s top heel. It seemed as if a main event spot was only months from Punk’s grasp. After the premature end to the feud with Cena, Punk entered an ill-fated feud with Randy Orton.

After three losses to Orton, Punk’s momentum has ended and the importance of Nexus has fallen.

Despite this, Punk has exposed himself in the process. The Straight Edge Messiah has displayed his superiority to every member of the WWE Roster. It’s hard to deny the fact that CM Punk is the all around best Superstar in the WWE today.

Charisma

Beyond the shadow of a doubt, he is the best mic worker in the company today. He has that ease which comes only to the exceptional mic workers. No matter what kind of promo he is given to cut, he does it well.

He can be serious, as he was with Hardy in 2009.

He can be evil, as he was with Mysterio in 2010.

He can be funny, as he was during his announcing stint and during his feud with Cena earlier on this year.

He is all you want in a mic worker, and that is being said, considering the restricted environment he’s working in. Say he had the freedom of content from the Attitude Era, he would have been regarded as the greatest mic worker of all time.

If you don’t realize what I’m referring to, watch some of Punk’s promos during his heel run in Ring Of Honor. More specifically, Punks promos with no microphone and the extended promo on Raven are Indy Classics. The Rock is regarded as the best promo performer of all time. Not that I disagree, but I’ve noticed Rock displays a profound weakness when cutting a serious promo.

Triple H is another example of a great mic worker. The Game is superior when it comes to delivery but his promos don’t carry the same allure as CM Punks.

Another thing to consider when Punk is cutting a promo is the influence of other factors.

In Ring Ability

Punk is also great in the ring.

I shall be the first to admit that his ring work is overrated by the Internet Wrestling Community. But that doesn’t take away the fact that he does do a good job at it.

The most striking feature about his style is that it is so remarkably different from everyone else’s in the WWE. It reeks of the independent leagues. That is probably why the IWC seems to be so fascinated with it. I personally am a huge fan of the independents, so that must be why I can appreciate it more than others.

Word has it; Punk was star struck by the style of NJPW Star Kenta. Punk adopted some forms of his striking from Kenta and his finisher, The Go 2 Sleep.

This is a strong trait guys like Miz or Alex Riley lack. They may carry all the potential in the world but without proper wrestling skills, they can’t be considered all around great WWE superstars. If I were to rank the top in ring workers in the current WWE, Daniel Bryan, Christian, Dolph Ziggler, and CM Punk would be my top four.

Character and Ability to Portray Different Roles

As a man who’s followed Punk’s WWE career since he debut in ECW, I’ve noticed the evolution of CM Punk.

I firmly believe it can continue with him being established as an anti-hero. While most may disagree, I enjoyed Punk’s face run on ECW. Punk revolutionized himself when he turned heel in 2009.

I firmly believe that he is the best character actor in the WWE today: he clearly lives what he portrays.

There is no role he can’t do justice to: be it a self-righteous Straightedge Superstar, an evil prophetic cult leader, or a deranged wrestler seeking revenge against anyone who ever wronged him. That is a field where he is miles ahead of everyone else in the entire roster.

For example, Randy Orton was undoubtedly the WWE’s top heel from 2008 to late 2009.

The McMahon storyline made Orton a different type of superstar and further explored his new gimmick—The Viper.

Orton was the guy everyone loved to hate, but disputes with fellow Legacy members Cody Rhodes and Ted Dibiase forced fans to see Orton in a new light. Randy Orton became a wrestler fans loved and they wanted to cheer for The Viper.

This forced WWE Creative to turn Orton into a tweener/face.

The difference between CM Punk and Orton is that Punk is actually entertaining. Many have attempted to label Orton the second coming of Stone Cold Steve Austin. Orton is a superstar but lacks the charisma of Stone Cold.

To contrast, Punk has insulted fans on numerous occasions but it has garnered little effect on fans.

For example, the events overshadow a significant moment in the 2011 Raw Elimination Chamber.

CM Punk's antics and the general reaction of the crowd were almost completely ignored by viewers of the event. While it didn’t translate well on TV, fans were angry at Punk’s quick elimination and rejoiced when he was reinstated in the match.

Credibility

If there is anything he should improve at, then it is at being less talented. He is so far ahead of everyone in the WWE, that it is actually holding him back. He is in a position of infinite credibility, just like Chris Jericho.

He can’t be buried. See for yourself: he was wasted for around six months, and then broke into a feud with John Cena out of the blue, and nobody found it out of place.

That is what happens when you bring that kind of entertainment quality with your work. That is a true testimony of how well rounded he is.